Did you partake in the Soul Toolsday experience? Twin Cities based Soul Tools released a new free track via their Bandcamp page every Tuesday in May. For those who don’t know, Soul Tools describes themselves as a “Minneapolis based entertainment group that focuses on collaborating with like-minded and ambitious artists, producers, musicians, film-makers and entrepreneurs in order to help cultivate the creative community and promote those with similar goals.”

Toki Wright is perhaps the local artist whose name is most recognizably and frequently associated with the Soul Tools brand, but other affiliated artists include Mastermind, The Regiment, DJ Snuggles, Confidence, DJ Reggie Reg, and they also released St Paul Slim’s “Bald Headed Samsun” project.

Each of the four Soul Toolsday tracks were produced by Reggie Reg and captured different moods and vibes. Toki Wright started the campaign off with “Organized Move,” and the sparse beat allows him a fitting backdrop to flex his nimble and animated delivery, as well as catchy punchlines.

[bandcamp track=2336304743 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=0687f5 size=venti]

For the second installment Reggie Reg collaborated with Longshot and uses the same vocal sample, as well as title, that Bay Area MC Encore did on his 2000 debut album. Longshot focuses on the two words of the title and shares a long list of loves, contrasted with an equally filled list of things he feels exactly the opposite about.

[bandcamp track=32058200 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=0687f5 size=venti]

Perhaps my favorite in the series was “Don’t Mess With Me” featuring Brother Ali. It has a dark vibe that inspires Ali to embark on a concept track that would feel at home next “Haunted Housebroken” from the “Bite Marked Heart” EP. However, “Don’t Mess With Me” is decidedly more abstract and intense.

[bandcamp track=1976303166 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=0687f5 size=venti]

The final track in the series paired up Twin Cities MCs, I Self Devine and Mastermind with Detroit crew The Regiment. The result is “21st Century Genius,” which has an uptempo '80s pop rock feel and is primarily based on punchlines and braggadocio, although I Self Devine does add his signature touch of brain food with lines such as, “I don’t dream, I think standing/I don’t sleep, I stay planning…”

[bandcamp track=1324218395 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=0687f5 size=venti]

Soul Toolsday was a smart marketing campaign to get people aware of the work that Soul Tools is doing and their artist rooster and affiliates. You can visit their website for all things Soul Tools, including more info on their projects, artists, and links to download all the aforementioned tracks.